When will her wings grow back?

[cjlambert]

I bought my conure at the beginning of March 2016 from a store that exclusively breeds birds. They had clipped her wings. I asked them how long until her flight feathers grow back and she can start to fly? I was told about 3 or 4 months.

It has now been 6 months. What's going on here? Are they ever going to grow back? Thanks.

 

[SailBoat]

Hmmm, Pictures please!

There are all levels of wing feather clipping, all the ways from really, really bad to that of a well trained expert on their best day. Without seeing where your Parrot is today, it is impossible to define a when!

Sorry! No short sweet answer.

 

[MonicaMc]

Unfortunately, it can take up to 2 years for a full set of flights to grow back in....

If you don't want to wait long, you can see if there is an avian vet near you that would do imping... which can be a costly procedure... otherwise, it's just a waiting game.

 

[cjlambert]

It was nearly impossible to take this picture, lol...

https://s4.postimg.org/qmzeb2eh9/IMG_0635.jpg

2 years to grow back? Aw

 

[SailBoat]

Yup, you got the full Primary Wing Feather Clip and on a young Parrot. So, you are going to witness the full process of selected replacement of healthy feathers. Shorty answer: two years, at least.

Sorry!

 

[IndySE]

Oh yikes ! Same case with my baby GCC Kermit. I got him a few months ago and thought he'd be able to fly in 6 months. But looks like he has a similar trim to your lady there. He's missing most, if not all his primary feathers Which is a bummer because flight is really important for their earlier development

 

[cjlambert]

Bummer indeed. Thanks for the info everyone.

 

[snowflake311]

I thought it depends on when they moult? When I got my parrakeet they were clipped they started moulting soon after I got them. When they were done with the molt they could fly. It took a few months. From start to finish.

So it depends on the bird. My little 6 month old conure is starting his first moult and I think by winter he will be flying. It depends on the age of the bird and the season. Keep your birds wing muscles strong by encouraging flapping so when the feathers come in they will be stronger and ready to try flying.

 

[SailBoat]

Yes, it depends greatly on the species of Parrot and their age. In this case, the young healthy Parrot had just gotten its full adult feathers and has switched too selected replacement. In selected replacement, over a longer period of time healthy flight feathers are replaced throughout the year (not seasonal). Yes, some birds replace a larger volume of their feathers with in a given year. Where other Parrots will replace their healthy feathers over a much longer period of time.

Regardless of whether your bird /Parrot replaces its flight feathers quickly or over a longer period. A full cut of the Primary Feathers, (i.e. all of them) is cruel and clearly shows that the individual was not well educated in feather replacement!